Allan Bower
Professor:
Engineering
Phone: +1 401 863 1493
Allan_Bower@Brown.EDU
Professor Bower is a member of the Solid Mechanics group in the Division of Engineering. He works with colleagues and students to develop and apply computer simulations to model the mechanical properties of materials. Applications of current interest include lightweight materials and engineered surfaces for automotive and aerospace applications, as well as microelectronic materials.
Biography
Professor Bower was educated at the University of Cambridge, and was a University Lecturer in the Department of Engineering at Cambridge before joining Brown as an assistant professor in 1991. He currently serves as co-director (with Dr. Mark Verbrugge of GM) of the Brown/General Motors Collaborative Research Laboratory in Computational Materials Research. He is also the author of a (free) electronic solid mechanics textbook published at http://solidmechanics.org/
Interests
Current research projects include:
Development of engineered surfaces and lightweight materials for automotive applications;
Modeling stress and electromigration induced failures in microelectronic circuits;
Modeling stress evolution during deposition of polycrystalline metallic and nonmetallic films.
Degrees
B.A, M.A, Ph.D.
Awards
Institute of Mechanical Engineers Thomas Stephen Prize
Institute of Mechanical Engineers Bronze Tribology Medal
ASME Tribology Division Best Paper Award
Philip J. Bray Teaching Award
Affiliations
American Academy of Mechanics
Teaching
Professor Bower teaches undergraduate courses in mechanical engineering and graduate courses in applied mechanics. Previous courses are listed below, with web addresses for electronic texts where available.
Professor Bower has also published a general advanced level solid mechanics textbook at http://solidmechanics.org/
Past Undergraduate Courses
- EN3: Introduction to Engineering http://www.engin.brown.edu/courses/en3
- EN4: Introduction to Dynamics and Vibrations http://www.engin.brown.edu/courses/en4
- EN31: Introduction to Mechanics of Solids
- EN137: Advanced Engineering Mechanics
- EN175: Advanced Mechanics of Solids http://www.engin.brown.edu/courses/en175
Past Graduate courses
- EN222: Mechanics of Solids II http://www.engin.brown.edu/courses/en222
- EN224: Linear Elasticity http://www.engin.brown.edu/courses/en224
- EN229: Plasticity
- EN292: Mechanics of Contact and Friction
Funded Research
Office of Naval Research: N00014-90-J-1295, "Experimental Mechanics of Thin Films and Interfaces" Nov. 15, 1989-Sep. 30, 1992. (extended to 12/31/92), $275,000.-
"Analytical and Experimental Evaluation of Joining Silicon Nitride to Metal for Heat Engine Applications" Department of Energy-GTE: $80,000.-; May 1, 1990 -April 30, 1992.
"Fundamentals of Embedded Optical Fibers in Structural Concrete" National Science Foundation: $300,000.-; Nov. 15, 1990 -Dec. 31, 1992: with T.F. Morse.
"Micro-Mechanics of Failure-Resistant Materials" National Science Foundation-MRG: (PI) Director, R. J. Clifton; Jan. 1, 1989 -Dec. 30, 1992. Approximately $50,000.-/year: Jan. 1, 1990 -Dec. 30, 1992. (With same rate the funding was extended to June 30, 1993.) Total MRG budget was $2,400,000.-for three years.
Office of Naval Research: N00014-93-, "Experimental Mechanics of Thin Films and Interfaces" 1/1/93-12/31/95, $275,000.- .
National Science Foundaion: MSS-9017933, "Fundamentals of Embedded Optical Fibers in Structural Concrete" with T. F. Morse, 3/1/92-2/28/93, $ 150,000.-
National Science Foundation: MRG/DMR-93, "Micro-and Nano-Mechanics of Failure Resistant Materials" 9/1/93-
8/31/96, $ 2,700,000.-(1 month per year) [Director; R. J. Clifton; 10 PI's]
National Science Foundation: ESC-9202961, "Optical Fiber Sensors for In-Situ Temperature and Strain Measurements in Composite Materials" with T. F. Morse and B. Sheldon, 9/15/92-9/14/94, $ 153,100.-(0.75 month per year)
National Science Foundation: "Electon Beam Lithography of Fine Surface Structures with SEM" with A. Nurmikko and J. R. Beresford, 1992-1994, $180,000.-
Army Research Office: 'High-Speed Real-Time Measurement Instrumentation for High Strain Rate Behavior of Brittle Ceramics subjected to High-Velocity Impact" with R. J. Clifton, 1995-1996, $175,000.-
Hyundai: "SAE Formula Car" 1995-1996, $20,000.-
Army Research Office: DAAL03-92-G-0107, "Dynamic Behavior of Brittle Materials" with R. J. Clifton, L. B. Freund, S. Nutt, M. Ortiz and S. Suresh, 8/1/92-7/31/98, $ 2,000,000.-
National Science Foundation: "Materials Research Science and Engineering Center for Micro-and Nano-Mechanics of Materials" 9/1/96-8/31/2001, IRG Coordinator, (PI; R. J, Clifton) $ 5,400,000.-
Ford: Micromechanics of fatigue in Aluminum, 12/1/97-11/31/2000, with A. Kumar, $150,000.-
IMRE: Micromechanics of thin élms, with A. Bower and L.B. Freund, 7/1/97-6/31/98, $200,000.-
National Science Foundation: 9909165 Workshop on Nano and Micromechanics of Solids for Emerging Science and Tech¬nology, 10/01/99-3/31/01, $52,500.00.
National Science Foundation: Measurement of microscopic residual stress based on the evolution of surface roughness during shallow chemical etching, 4/1/00 -3/31/03; $254,000.00.
National Science Foundation: "MRSEC for Micro-and Nano-Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials" 9/1/00 -8/31/2005, co-investigator (Director; C. Briant), $7,000,000.-
General Motors: PI for GM summer program, 2001, $19,800.-
General Motors: Thrust Leader, Nanocrystalline Material Tribology, GM/Brown CSL, 2001 -2006, $3,000,000.-
National Institutes of Health: PFM equipment, Collaboration with Dr. G. Jay, 2001 -2004, $35,000.-
National Science Foundation: sole PI; Measurement of microscopic residual stress based on the evolution of surface roughness during shallow chemical etching. 5-26101; $254,000.00 for 00-04.
Hyundai Motors: sole PI; gift funding for research in general area of thermal stresses and strength of solids; $360,000.-for 02-06.
Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers/National Science Foundation: co-investigator for the group funding at Brown; nano and micro mechanics of solid interfaces, $7.0M for 01-05.
General Motors/Brown CRL: nano-crystalline material tribology thrust leader; nano and micro tribology,
$3.0M for 01-06.
National Science Foundation-MRI ; A Nanoindenter System to Strengthen Brown's Experimental Capabilities in Mechanics and Physics of Materials from Nano to Geological Scales with P.R. Guduru (Solid Mechanics), B.W. Sheldon (Materials Science),R.F. Cooper (Geological Sciences), G. D. Jay (Biology and Medicine), funded in 2004, about $250,000.-
National Science Foundation: sole PI; Nano-mechanics of solid surface suspension and imprinting; $178,000.- for 05-07. [The first recipient for the new program on bio/nano mechanics in CMS division of NSF].
Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers/National Science Foundation: co-investigator for the group funding at Brown; nano and micro mechanics of solid interfaces, $7.0M for 05-11.
General Motors/Brown CRL: nano-crystalline material tribology thrust leader; nano and micro tribology, $3.0M for 05-10.
